September 28, 2023

The true ‘losers’ of the Solheim Cup — Must-click women’s golf links

By Addie Parker

The IX: Golf Thursday with Addie Parker, Sept. 28, 2023

Happy Golf Thursday! And just like that, another Solheim Cup has come and gone, and boy was it riveting. The Friday morning sweep from the Americans to the dead-set tie to the very end—it was a master class display of golf—if only we could have seen a bit more of the crucial singles matchups. Instead, we got about a minute-long (but felt much longer) broadcast of two dragonflies performing the act of reproduction.

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Prolonged shots of the clubhouse, incorrect graphics, missed shots/key moments, and several other broadcasting nuances made coverage difficult to follow. Sky Sports, a British media company, was at the helm of broadcasting this year’s Solheim Cup, along with UCOM (a German production company), and despite the many foes, Sky Sports reported record viewership numbers.

Fans watching at home weren’t the only ones left feeling out of the loop. Kay Cockerill, former golfer and now an on-course broadcaster, shared her sentiments on what working inside the ropes on the final day at Finca Cortesin.

This level of production is unfair to women’s golf. The fans deserve to feel as if we’re there, or at the bare minimum, have the proper graphics showing us what’s happening. The players deserve better. We’ve heard countless times that playing in the Solheim Cup is a dream come true for all of these young women, to wear the colors of their country (or continent) and to represent something bigger than themselves—they deserve their platform.

NBC and the Golf Channel could only do so much with the content given to them by UCOM, but surely this can not and should not happen again. This isn’t the first time a U.S.-based media company has given rights over for another broadcasting company to take over, but similarly to the men’s British Open and the Ryder Cup, NBC should have sent a smaller camera crew in assistance. The task of covering every shot, which is daunting, but necessary for the formatting of the Solheim Cup, shouldn’t be taken lightly, and let’s hope that there’s a lesson to be learned in all of this.

Luckily for us, there are talks of next year’s Solheim Cup already in the works. It’ll be in my home state of Virginia, and you better believe I’ve already got my tickets, and I hope to see you there.

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This week in women’s golf

If you have links you wish to share for Golf Thursday, sources for golf news, or want to talk about anything at all, you can email me at addieparker25@gmail.com! Discussion of any kind is always welcome…I mean it…MESSAGE ME!

LPGA News

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All things Solheim will be linked below

Solheim Cup TV coverage was ‘frustrating,’ even NBC broadcasters agree

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Should the Solheim Cup have a playoff? U.S. captain Stacy Lewis, Golf Twitter weigh in

A closer look at how Sunday’s singles shook out to let Europe ‘win’ with a tie at Finca Cortesin

Should There Have Been A Solheim Cup Playoff?

A (very) early look at the 2024 U.S. Solheim Cup team

Megan Khang Makes Most of Third Solheim Cup Appearance

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Five at The IX: Best moments/shots at the Solheim Cup

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Written by Addie Parker